Press Release

Rail Industry welcomes new Transport Minister Wendy Morton MP; thanks outgoing Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris MP


Left to right: Wendy Morton MP and Chris Heaton-Harris MP

19 December 2021

Wendy Morton MP has been appointed a Minister at the Department for Transport, following outgoing Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris MP being appointed Europe Minister.

Darren Caplan, Chief Executive of the Railway Industry Association, said: “On behalf of RIA, our members and the wider rail supply community, I’d like to welcome Wendy Morton MP as a new Minister at the Department for Transport.

“We look forward to working with Ms Morton, with her new role at the DfT, at this pivotal time for UK rail. 2022 will be a particularly important year, with the railway industry continuing to support the UK during the Coronavirus pandemic, the sector undergoing a major restructure to the new Great British Railways model, and as we deliver major improvements to the network, including HS2, Transpennine Route Upgrade, Midlands Rail Hub, and the decarbonisation and digitalisation of the network.

“I would also like to say thank you to outgoing Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris. There are few Rail Ministers who have had to deal with such a crisis as Covid, but during the past 18 months Mr Heaton-Harris really has worked tirelessly with the rail supply sector, to both ensure services kept running and to enable work to continue on renewing and enhancing railway infrastructure and rolling stock at a time when many other sectors could not function, through no fault of their own. We wish him the very best of luck in his new role, and look forward to working with him on rail issues in future, in his role as MP for Daventry.”

Notes to Editors

  1. The announcement can be found here.

  2. About RIA: The Railway Industry Association (RIA) is the voice of the UK rail supply community. We help to grow a sustainable, high-performing, railway supply industry, and to export UK rail expertise and products. RIA has 300+ companies in membership in a sector that contributes £43 billion in economic growth and £14 billion in tax revenue each year, as well as employing 710,000 people. It is also a vital industry for the UK’s economic recovery, supporting green investment and jobs in towns and communities across the UK; for every £1 spent in rail, £2.50 is generated in the wider economy. RIA’s membership is active across the whole of railway supply, covering a diverse range of products and services and including both multi-national companies and SMEs (60% by number). www.riagb.org.uk